Sunday, April 26, 2009

It's been absolutely gorgeous this weekend! Hubby was off work, so together we got quite a bit of yard work accomplished. He and my stepson even put up the clothesline poles I've been wanting for the last five years. Woo-hoo! (It's the little things...)

Do you know anyone who likes or collects Avon jewelry? These cute little earrings were made by Avon back when who knows when and I've had them forever. Never worn them NOR the matching ring. One of those hoarder disorder things. Anyway, it's time to pull them out of my "stash"; I just listed them on my Etsy. The ring is listed, too, but separately.

And this earrings and necklace set? So cool - one of those things that I just couldn't pass up in the '70s. And, guess what? Yep - you guessed. Never wore them. They're listed, too!

I'm hoping to get up the courage to list some of my huge stash of fabrics, too. No promises here, but I'd LIKE to get it done this week. There is absolutely no way that I can use all that fabric during the remainder of my lifetime. No, I'm not planning on going anytime soon, especially when I have so much excess STUFF here. I would be so embarrassed to have someone else come in after I'm gone and go through it all. So, if I have any say in it, I have a LOT of work to do before I go.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Isn't this vintage cream pitcher adorable?
And this ceramic serving dish was made (well, painted) by someone in 1969. How do I know? It's signed and dated at the bottom. But those two items aren't the surprise that isn't a surprise. I just listed them and an oh, so sweet dolly outfit that someone took the care to crochet on my Etsy.

HERE is your non-surprise (part of it):
...a feedsack towel and a wooden-and-ceramic trinket box...
...a vintage apron (don't look too closely, I haven't ironed it yet - but what a great pocket it has! You can look at it, it's pleated and kind of moon-shaped)...
...and this tiny little pitcher and saucer (it's only about 3 1/2" tall).

Get it yet? Okay, I'll tell you. The last three pictures are items that are included in this month's blog giftaway. The surprise is, this month's items aren't a surprise because I actually remembered to post them! Thus, a nonsurprise.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

This is one of those things that I really hate to pass on; however, I definitely want to protect my kids and grandchildren against this type of downright meaness and thoughtless, unsanitary actions and am sure you feel the same way about your families. These employees have evidently been fired, but this video provides information enough to convince me to never eat in a restaurant in which you can't watch the food preparation. This IS disgusting! Really.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Sometimes I feel like one of the old carnival callers. You know, the people who used to stand outside the carnival shows and yell something like, "Hur-ry, hur-ry, hur-ry! Come and see the Gorgator, the only creature on earth with the head of a gorilla and the body of an alligator!"... okay, so maybe I don't quite fit myself into that category. BUT, you do have one more day to sign up for my special 200th blog post Giftaway. If you haven't already, be sure to read yesterday's post and leave a comment to qualify! The drawing will be tomorrow afternoon, before Easter lunch but after church services. Roughly, around 1:00 eastern standard time! Remember to let me know your favorite colors when you post!

And, speaking of Easter, don't forget to take advantage of some of the Easter markdowns! Look for things like marked down chocolate (excuse my slurping, happens every time I think of chocolate), baskets and such. Remember, you can freeze chocolate and use it throughout the year. If you don't like the idea of serving chocolate bunnies for your July 4th gatherings, melt them down and pour them into more suitably shaped candy molds, or chop them up and use them in cookies, as sprinkles for cake decorations, etc.

I like to buy the marked down stuffed animals, too. You can always use them as birthday or get well gifts.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Yes, I've been at it again - or, I'm still at it! Working on candleholders, hat is! The one above is for my friend and neighbor, who had hip surgery yesterday. She's had both hips replaced now, and this is the fourth surgery (I think) on her right one. It keeps popping out of place. I'm wondering if this is typical of hip surgery or of her doctor's work.

She likes yellow and, because she has pets in the house, I decided to put one of my extra (unmatched) bowls on top instead of a chandelier bowl. This way, if she doesn't want to put a candle inside (possible fire hazard with pets, you know!), she could use it for jewelry , candy, etc.
I hope she likes it.

And, although I was liking the white candleholder but still thinking it looked too much like a wedding thing, I started adding some pink and pink-ish blossoms before some of you responded and agreed that you, too, liked the white look.

Guess what? It still reminds me of a wedding!

Meanwhile, Ms. Space Cadet here didn't realize until I started to write this post that THIS is actually my 200th post! (*Shaking my head*) Sometimes I feel that I'm getting more strange and more spacey with each passing day...

SO...leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite color. If your name is drawn, I will make one of these candleholders just for you! The winner will be drawn Easter Sunday! If you don't like these candleholders, leave a comment and tell me what your least favorite color is and, if your name is drawn, you can give it to someone you don't like. ;)

Monday, April 6, 2009

Is this the cutest card or what? A bunch of sweet chicks, minding their own business, riding around in their roadster to wish everyone "happiness for Easter". This is a surprise I received in the mail from Deb (Garage Sale Gal), who is quite the sweet chick herself! You'll never guess what she included on the note she sent- she apologized that it wasn't handmade! She took the time to bling it up for me, remember me during the most reverent time of year for us Christians and apologizes for not taking MORE time. But, that's Deb for ya! Thank you, Deb, I really appreciate the card, the thought but more importantly, YOU!
Yesterday was so nice outside! It was in the 70's, a beautiful sunshiny day. It was a perfect day to snap pictures of the artificial plum tree that lives right in back of our patio (OMG, I'm starting to channel Bob Ross...). Today? Twenty degrees colder, rainy and we have a forecast of snow flurries tomorrow morning.

Oh! Before I forget it, I've jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and have posted my link in the right hand margin. If you twitter, please let me know so I can keep up with you! Hey, a sentence a day is better than nothing at all!

I've also discovered this handy-dandy site: Tiny URL. It's pretty cool; you can reduce any URL down to just a few characters. Really comes in handy when you're trying to fit an http addy into a limited space (like on Twitter).

I also thought I'd show you one of the things I'm doing with that chandelier I deconstructed:
You know I love making these candle holders! This one isn't quite finished but I thought I'd show you my progress, just the same!
Do you think this is too wedding-y? I'm thinking about filling some of those empty spots with either yellow or pink roses. Really - I'd love your opinion!

Finally, I hope that you all are praying for all the individuals and families affected by this financial crisis. Please include not just for those in our country, but across the world as none of us are exempt.

My hubby works for Exide Corporation, the largest battery maker in the U.S. Just last week, the local plant had to let over half their workers go. They had to lay off 567 employees and now have less than 300 left. That is a great big hit for almost anywhere, but especially in a town this size. Thankfully, Hubby is one who was spared but there are NO GUARANTEES for ANY job and I'm not just talking locally. We're all in this together; let's also keep our faith and pray together!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

If she doesn't, she should - it's me, in the picture on my banner! I was making new tags (they're my obsession for the week) and I decided to do something fun with my baby picture. Note the matching bib. I decided that any child who holds her tongue like this must do a lot of drooling.

...and this is me today...

Heh! Yeah, right! I only wish. I had put the background for this tag together, then couldn't decide what else to do with it. I had cut this gal's image out and had it laying close to the tag and my imagination practically started screaming at me! She was a a young girl who had married a rich older gent who doted on her. He was a world traveler and loved to show his lovely young bride to the world so he purchased tickets for them to take a trip on the Titanic.

Sadly, she didn't get to be an aristocrat for long. This next gal reminded me of one of the "slutty cousins" from Tennessee in "My Best Friend's Wedding".

I gave her hat an oversized ribbon tail and put her in a bed of flowers. The next one, well, what can you say about a bunny who has miraculously given birth to a swarm of chicks?

I mounted her on mulberry paper and blinged it up with some itty-bitty shiny plastic flowers and hearts with glitter over them.

Then, I decided to turn my attention to a chandelier I bought at an estate sale. It had been stored in an old box and looked complete. Too bad I didn't notice that one of the glass chandelier arms was broken beyond repair. So, I deconstructed it and washed its glass bowls and crystals in a bath of warm water and vinegar.

These little chandy bowls look like they'd make great candle holders or candy dishes. Better yet, they'd look really feminine and pretty, holding jewelry on a dresser. I'll probably play with them later today.

But, not before I announce the winner of the MARCH GIFTAWAY! It's DIANE OF SATURDAY FINDS!!!!!! Congratulations, Diane! Email me at Miller.sher@yahoo.com with your snail addy and I'll get your package out to you! It's a nice one and I think you'll enjoy it, but since I failed to take a picture first, I'm making this another Surprise Package!